McLoughlin said Sylvia Merrigan helped her organise the event and it brought communities and people from different faiths and backgrounds together.
McLoughlin added: “I thought it would be a nice thing to support the family to show them that they are in our thoughts and prayers.
“We had a lot of help organising this.”
She said the supermarket Morrisons, where Nowak used to work, had provided the event with water and snacks.
“The local Sikh community came out with water, naans and onion bhajis.
“The church opened their doors for us to use their toilets and provided toast, tea, coffee and hot chocolate.”
She said the event was fantastic but also very emotional, adding: “People were pleased to be there to show their support to the family and I think the family were grateful that we were there to show support to them.”
The event had raised over £600 for 2wish, a charity that supports families affected by sudden death in young people.